`
Marquez, honesty or tactical games?
Marc Marquez has never been on the podium in the first three races of 2026, a result certainly unexpected even for the Spanish champion himself, although not yet at 100% physically. The nine-time world champion has not hidden that he is still suffering from the after-effects of the Mandalika 2025 injury, but it is undeniable that Ducati is in crisis at this start of the world championship. The Italian brand has been on the podium only once, with Fabio Di Giannantonio’s third place in Goiania, and is 32 points behind Aprilia in the constructors’ standings.
Speaking with the Spaniards of Dazn on the sidelines of the Austin race, Marc Marquez explained that he hopes Ducati can close the gap: “Let’s see if we can take a small step forward in Jerez and turn the situation around little by little. Even if in terms of pure speed we are not doing so badly, we are missing something in terms of consistency”. And he continued: “Compared to last year we have taken a small step forward, we are going faster on almost all tracks, both in terms of fast lap and pace. But Aprilia has taken a step and a half.”
Read more Ricciardo and retirement: “Fired 2 times in 2 years, but grateful to Red Bull for deciding for me”
Marquez, however, is not yet waving the white flag for the world championship: “We are only at the third race. If you exclude yourself from the fight right from the start, you are in trouble. Devi continuare a insistere, ci sono tantissime gare e tantissimi punti in palio. Bezzecchi è in testa e ha un vantaggio e può permettersi di sbagliare di più. Lo abbiamo visto in testa sin dal via, è davvero in una forma incredibile. At this moment only he can lose, we can only start winning again.”
In the riders’ world championship, Marco Bezzecchi is the leader with 81 points, +4 over Martin, +21 over Acosta, +31 over Di Giannantonio, and +36 over Marc Marquez.
